


brothers

by forbala



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Baby Harry Potter, Sirius Black Raises Harry Potter, mcgonagall intervenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-22 20:14:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18534691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forbala/pseuds/forbala
Summary: McGonagall knew placing Harry with the Dursleys was a bad idea. So she took matters into her own hands.





	brothers

**Author's Note:**

> This is just something I wrote up real quick. Not beta'd.

“Albus, surely you can’t be thinking of putting him with these Muggles,” Minerva said, shocked. “They’re horrible, I’ve been watching them all day.”

“They’re the only family he has,” Albus responded solemnly.

“That’s not true at all!” she objected. “Sirius Black is his godfather.”

“I can’t place Harry with him. It wouldn’t be safe.”

“Merlin’s beard, Albus. He’s the boy’s godfather. He was James’ brother. The Potters were very clear that they wanted _him_ to raise Harry. Lily didn’t want him anywhere near her sister and that’s a fact.”

“I’m leaving him here, Minerva.

“And how do you plan to break the news?”

“I’ve got a note.”

Minerva balked. “You’re going to leave a baby out in the middle of the night in _October_? And you’re telling her that her sister is dead via _note_? You’ve lost your mind, Albus.”

But he’s stubborn as always. So she became a cat and prowled the neighborhood until he and Hagrid both left. And then she was back to being a woman. She walked up to Number 4 Privet Drive and looked down at the sleeping baby. “Oh, my poor boy.”

She leaned over and picked him up. She took the note and pocketed it. She Apparated away.

~

Minerva walked into the Leaky Cauldron at two in the morning. It wasn’t packed but there were several people sitting around. Her eyes keyed in on one in particular, a dark figure slumped over at the bar. She marched over and tapped him roughly.

“Black. Get up.”

“McGonagall?” he slurred, looking blearily up at her. His face was streaked with tears and there were several empty glasses beside him. 

“You’d better get sober quick, Black. You’re a godfather and you’ve got work to do.”

His face lit up then as he laid eyes on the baby. “Harry!” he cried, reaching for him. But Minerva stepped back. “Nooo, why?”

“Once you’ve sobered up. Come on, let’s get you home for tonight. Tomorrow, you can get his things from the Potters’.”

Sirius’ face fell and she felt her heart twinge. “I’m so sorry, Black.” He merely nodded and followed her out.

They got to Black’s flat quickly and Minerva laid the baby on the couch. He would keep there for a few minutes, fast asleep and wrapped tight as he was. Her current business was to get Black sobered up. He needed water, and lots of it. She tended to him and watched him dash to the toilet after the first glass of water. After that, he seemed to improve quickly.

“I wanna sit with Harry,” he said, his voice whiny and childish, as he sat down on the couch. He petted a hand over the baby’s head, gentle as a whisper.

It was hard for Minerva to watch. He was so young, barely out of boyhood himself, and he was suddenly thrust into parenthood, his friends all gone. He would have a hard road ahead of him, but he was a strong boy. And he would have her help.

~

The next morning, Minerva burst into Black’s bedroom before sunrise. “Time to get up!” she announced. “We’ve got to get the Ministry!”

Black flailed in his bedsheets and sat up, rubbing his eyes. “What? Why?”

“We’ve got to get you registered as Harry’s new guardian before Albus finds out.”

“Er, McGonagall...finds out what?” he asked, looking at her suspiciously.

“Well. Hm. I suppose you ought to know. Albus was insistent on giving Harry to Lily’s sister. I took him after he’d gone. Once you’re registered, Albus can’t legally take him from you. So hurry up.”

She vacated the room and heard Black bustling about, rather quickly for someone who was undoubtedly hungover.

~

Black insisted on taking care of Harry. He gave the boy dry cereal and a bits of cut up banana for breakfast. “Lookie here, Harry, look at Uncle Pads!” he cooed as he fed him. “Oh, what a good boy you are.” Harry cooed and blabbered and gripped Black’s shirt tight in his little fist. Minerva thought it was maybe the cutest thing she’d ever seen.

It was lucky Black had extra diapers. He didn’t have extra clothes, though, so Harry would have to wear the same clothes he’d arrived in.

Black carried Harry as they departed for the Ministry, packing him on his hip and rubbing his back or tickling him every so often as they rode the tube. The disembarked and made it to the Ministry visitor’s entrance, a phone booth out of sight.

They were among the first people in the Ministry at such an early hour. Minerva lead them to the Department of Family Matters while Black followed behind, making faces at Harry to keep him entertained and quiet. They arrived at the front desk and Minerva said, “Good morning. We have a change of guardian to see to.”

“Sure, ma’am, I’ll alert an agent.” The young man left the desk and went into an office close by. He emerged a few moments later with a middle-aged woman wearing a tweed suit.

“Hello, you’ve got a change in guardian, I hear?” she asked.

“That’s right,” Black said, stepping forward. “This little guy here.”

“Well, let’s come on into my office and we’ll get it sorted.”

~

They emerged from the Ministry onto the streets of London almost two hours later. Harry was more than fussy, by this point, so they went back to Black’s flat and let him down to crawl and play. Black turned to her with a solemn look. “So Harry is mine by law. I can’t thank you enough, McGonagall.”

“Certainly. Now I’ve got to break the news to Albus. You should go to the Potters’ and get what you need of Harry’s things.”

Black looked like he might shatter. “I want to kill him. I want to kill Peter.”

“It’s far too late for that now,” Minerva told him. “But I’m sure Moody would be glad to hear from you about it.”

Black nodded. “I’ll tell him. First thing tomorrow.” He sighed deeply and rubbed a hand over his face. “I’ll need a babysitter while I fetch Harry’s things. Maybe I can track down Moony. He’ll want to know.”

“I’ll watch Harry. You get his things. And Black—I’m here to help. Any time. I’m just an owl away.”

“Thanks, McGonagall. Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> And if you're wondering about the family magic that protected Harry at the Dursleys, I firmly believe that magic would have applied to Sirius as well, since he was James' brother and Harry's godfather. Godparents are family, and family doesn't end with blood. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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